Turbine pump



Dec. 26,1967 D, N, T'OMA 3,359,908

I TURBINE PUMP Filed Jan. 24, 1966 INVENTOR. DAN\EL N. TOMA ms TTORNEYUnited States Patent 3,359,908 TURBINE PUMP Daniel N. Toma, Louisville,Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New YorkFiled Jan. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 522,543 2 Claims. (Cl. 103-3) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE In a reversible turbine pump wherein the impellerincludes a circumferential web and spaced peripheral vanes extendingfrom the web; one face of each vane is disposed in a plane radial to theaxis of impeller rotation and the other face of each vane is disposed atan angle to the first face.

Turbine pumps move a fluid along an annular path within a casing, froman inlet to an outlet. The direction of pumping may be reversed simplyby reversing the direction of rotation of the impeller. In manyapplications of reversible turbine pumps it is desirable for the pump tohave a higher flow rate or head in one direction than in the other;however, the usual turbine pump delivers essentially the same flow rateand head in both directions of rotation. Prior art means for alteringthe flow rate and head for different directions of impeller rotationhave been costly to incorporate, complicated in operation and oftensubject to failure.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved turbine pumphaving different flow rates dependent on the direction of impellerrotation.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a pump whichrequires no extra parts.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of my invention, I providea turbine pump wherein the casing forms an annular pumping chamber anddefines a pair of openings in the periphery of the chamber for ingressand egress of fluid. A turbine impeller is mounted for reversiblerotation within the chamber and includes a circumferential web. Spaced,peripheral vanes extend from the web for entraining fluid within thechamber. One face of each vane is disposed in a plane radial to the axisof impeller rotation and the other face of each vane is disposed at anangle to the first face.

With this structure, when the impeller is driven in a first direction sothat the first face of each vane provides a shear action on the fluidwithin the chamber to cause the fluid to be pumped, the slanted secondfaces interfere with the vortex action of the fluid. This substantiallyreduces the pumping action of the impeller and thus provides asubstantially reduced fluid flow and head. When the impeller is rotatedin the other directtion, the slanted faces create a vortex action whichis only a slightly less than that created by the radial faces and theradial faces do not interfere with the fluid flow. Therefore, the flowrate and head is only slightly less than a turbine pump of comparablesize wherein the vanes have opposed faces which essentially are paralleland in planes radial to the axis of impeller rotation.

The subject matter which I regard as my invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of thisspecification. The invention itself, however, both as to itsorganization and method of operation, together with further advantagesthereof, may best be understood by references to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of one embodiment of thepresent invention;

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FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevational view, taken along the line 2-2 ofFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view illustrating details of theimpeller utilized in the pump of FIGURES 1 and 2.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawing, it may be seen that apump embodying the present invention has a casing 10 which defines anannular pumping chamber 11. The casing 10 may be formed from a bodyelement 12 and a cover plate 13 to facilitate assembly and any neededmaintenance. These two elements are held in an assembled relationship,by any suitable means, such as by bolts 14. A pair of openings 15 and 16are provided for ingress and egress of fluid and a dam 17 is providedbetween the openings to prevent leakage of fluid therebetween.

Within the casing, an impeller 18 is mounted for reversible rotationabout the axis of a shaft 19 by means of a collar 20 and is held on theshaft by a split ring 21 received in a groove 22 in the shaft 19. Theimpeller 18 has a generally disk-like shape, with a circumferential web23. The sides of the web are sloped as indicated at 24 and 25 to aid inincreasing the vortex flow of fluid within the chamber 11. On the upperand lower sides of web 23 (as seen in FIGURE 2) are formed a series ofspaced, peripheral vanes 26. The vanes extend both upwardly anddownwardly from the Web (as seen in FIGURES 2 and 3) and may extendoutwardly also and join so that each pair of upper and lower vanes ineffect forms a unitary vane structure. Each vane is formed with a pairof oppositely disposed faces or surfaces 27 and 28. The face or surface27 of each vane is disposed in a plane which is radial with respect tothe axis of shaft 19. The face of surface 28 of each vane is disposed atan angle with respect to the face 27 of the same Vane so that the vanestructures have their smallest thickness at the upper end and loweredges and their greatest thickness adjacent the web 23. Thus, the fluidimpelling buckets 29, formed between circumferentially adjacent pairs ofvane structures are relatively narrow adjacent the web and then becomewide as they progress away from the web.

When the impeller is rotated in the counter clockwise direction, as seenin FIGURE 1, the faces 27 of the vanes 26 have a shearing action on thefluid. This tends to cause the fluid to form two complementary toroidalor vortex flows. That is, the fluid in the upper portion of pumpingchamber 11 (as seen in FIGURE 2) will flow in one toroid while the fluidin the lower portion of the pumping chamber will flow in another toroid.The sloping surfaces 24 and 25 of the web 23 aid in establishing thetoroidal flow. This toroidal flow tends to cause the fluid to progressaround the pumping chamber 11 in a spiral motion from the inlet, in thiscase opening 15, to the outlet, in this case opening 16. The fluid isimpelled outwardly by one bucket, curves around, comes back, is receivedby the next bucket and again is impelled outwardly. (This mode of fluidflow is indicated by arrow 29a in FIGURE 3.) However, with theconstruction of my new and improved pump the slanted faces 28 interferewith this toroidal flow as the fluid is returned to the buckets 29 andcauses turbulence in the fluid. This turbulence substantially reducesthe fluid flow rate and head of the pump so that, when the impeller isrotating in the counter clockwise direction, the flow rate issubstantially less than a similar turbine pump having vanes withparallel, radial faces.

When the impeller is rotated in the other direction, that is, clockwise,as seen in FIGURE 1, the shear action creating the vortex or toroidalflow is provided by the slanted faces 28 of the vanes 26 (this mode offluid flow is indicated by arrow 29b in FIGURE 3). Because of theirslanted configuration they provide slightly less shear action thanradially disposed faces would; however, since the trailing faces in thismode of operation are the radial faces 27 there is no interference orturbulence caused by the trailing faces. Therefore, the pumping actionin the clockwise direction is substantially greater than the pumpingaction in the counter clockwise direction of the impeller rotation andin fact is almost as great as a similar pump in which the vanes haveparallel, radially disposed faces.

While this invention has been described with reference to a particularembodiment, it is to be understood that numerous modifications may bemade therein by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of my invention. It is, therefore, the purpose of the appendedclaims to cover all such variations which come within the true spiritand scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. A turbine pump comprising:

(a) a casing defining an annular pumping chamber,

(b) said casing further defining a pair of openings to said chamber foringress and egress of fluid,

(c) a turbine impeller mounted for reversible rotation within saidchamber,

(d) said impeller including a circumferential Web and spaced, peripheralvanes extending from said Web for entraining fluid within said chamber,

(e) each of said vanes including a first face disposed in a plane radialto the axis of rotation of said impeller and a second face disposed atan angle to said first face so that the effectiveness of said pump isdifferent dependent upon the direction of impeller rotation.

2. A turbine pump as defined in claim 1 wherein the spacing betweencircumferentially adjacent vanes is at a minimum adjacent said web.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,883,634 10/1932 Easton 103962,283,844 5/ 1942 Brady 10396 2,319,776 5/1943 Copeland et a1. 103962,570,862. 10/1951 Rosenkrans et a1. 10397 3,127,840 4/1964 Bochan103-96 3,133,505 5/1964 Heerens et a1 10396 3,244,105 4/1966 La Flame1032 3,257,950 6/1966 Toma 103-2 FOREIGN PATENTS 156,772 8/ 1939Austria. 729,453 12/ 1942 Germany.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

HENRY F. RADUAZO, Assistant Examiner.

1. A TURBINE PUMP COMPRISING: (A) A CASING DEFINING AN ANNULAR PUMPING CHAMBER, (B) SAID CASING FURTHER DEFINING A PAIR OF OPENINGS TO SAID CHAMBER FOR INGRESS AND EGRESS OF FLUID, (C) A TURBINE IMPELLER MOUNTED FOR REVERSIBLE ROTATION WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, (D) SAID IMPELLER INCLUDING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL WEB AND SPACED, PERIPHERAL VANES INCLUDING A FIRST FACE DISPOSED FOR ENTRAINING FLUID WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, (E) EACH OF SAID VANES INCLUDING A FIRST FACE DISPOSED IN A PLANE RADIAL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID IMPELLER AND A SECOND FACE DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO SAID FIRST FACE SO THAT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SAID PUMP IS DIFFERENT DEPENDENT UPON THE DIRECTION OF IMPELLER ROTATION. 